The BBC has recovered two lost serials from the Patrick Troughton era of Doctor Who. The two serials are “The Enemy of the World” and “The Web of Fear.”
BBC America reports that eleven episodes were recovered in Nigeria, Africa. Nine of those episodes were previously lost from the archives.
The discovery restores all six installments of “The Enemy of the World” and five of the six installments of “The Web of Fear.” The Doctor Who Restoration Team has restored the third and still missing installment of the serial with images from the episode and original soundtrack recordings.
Both completed serials are currently being sold on iTunes. (www.itunes.com/DoctorWho)
Early reports indicate that “The Enemy of the World” will get a UK DVD release on November 22 and “Web of Fear” will hit DVD early next year.
“Enemy” feature actor Patrick Troughton playing a dual role as the Doctor and the villainous dictator Salamander. “Web of Fear” is an iconic story that introduced UNIT and Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart to the show’s canon. It also features the second appearance of the Great Intelligence. The Great Intelligence returned in series seven to menace the Doctor again.
The discovery leaves 27 early Doctor Who stories still incomplete. But hope still remains that someday we may see them all back in the archives and available for fans to view.
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